Sweet & Spicy Baked Beans

Baked Beans…the ever popular, summer side dish that’s a must at every family BBQ! Let’s face it, it’s not a real BBQ without them. Matter of fact, if they’re not present, you just might get the side eye from one of those cousins, right! Growing up, we always made the classic dish with pork. But now in an effort to eat a bit healthier, we enjoy this tasty PORK FREE version. We substitute sweet and hot turkey sausage for the pork and it makes for a hit of a dish. That fantastic, sweet heat of a combo is perfect for drawing you in to each and every delicious bite.

Now for texture…I don’t know about you but I prefer a heartier texture to my baked beans. I simply can’t get with loosey-goosey baked beans that are swimming in sauce/juice creating the need to fish through to find each and every bean. Ok. I may be exaggerating a bit but still. To each their own though. If you prefer loosey-goosey, you probably leave the juice in from the can. However, I like to drain most of mine off. As they cook down, they begin to make a sauce on their own from the other ingredients. I combine onion, ketchup, bbq sauce, brown sugar, mustard and hot sauce with the beans and turkey sausage to make in my opinion the best recipe in it’s class! Alright. Alright. I’m partial but they are pretty fantastic in my and my family’s opinion. They certainly won’t disappoint! Most of the time, I cook them in the oven but if you need more precious oven space, feel free to cook them in a slow cooker and they turn out just as great! {Or maybe even better} 🙂 Say Grace and enjoy!!